


And I See You

by alittleplumontheback



Category: Shrek (Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21788194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittleplumontheback/pseuds/alittleplumontheback
Summary: "Sometimes I want to run away from it all. But, I stop, and I see you."Being king at sixteen is no easy feat.
Relationships: ArtiexReader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	And I See You

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thanks for choosing to read this! I hope you enjoy! :)

No one would’ve thought two talking animals would be so right. Being king was a nightmare. There was so much to fix that went untouched during King Harold’s final days, and Charming was only king for a few days and ended it with an upstaged play. Not to mention, Artie was sixteen and hadn’t even finished high-school when he took the crown two months ago. He had no clue what he was doing, and the palace advisors only looked down their noses at him. He didn’t want to be lazy and ignore his duties, but it was a lot to handle.  
Artie sits on his throne, counting down the line of people coming to them with their problems. He had no control over most of it, but he’d found a way to be a peacekeeper and talk it out with the conflicting parties. He only had ten more people to go and a meeting with his advisors after. Time never passes quickly with these things either. It seemed like every single idiot in the kingdom came out to bother the boy, and he kind of had to pee.  
When the last person walked up to him and bowed, he never thought he’d have to deal with something like this. The man was short and stocky, greying brown hair, and a gentle pair of green eyes. He was dressed in a brown tunic and breeches. He spoke slow and drawn out, “Your Majesty, there’s been a strange blight affecting my crops . . . Now, I’ve seen plenty of blights in my time, but this one’s a bit strange. And, it’s happening to other farmers. There’s these red roots running through the ground, and the plants turn black and shrivel down. We’ve tried to dig them up, but they break and turn to a liquid.”  
“How long has this been going on?” Artie tried to think of something he’d read that sounded familiar but nothing was coming to mind. He couldn’t have a famine on his hands this soon into his reign.  
“Almost two weeks ago,” he continued, “We did have some odd people come through town. They had strange names we couldn’t pronounce and had their hoods hiding most of their faces.”  
Artie frowned. This was going to be one hell of a nightmare, but he reassured the man that he’d solve it. He would love to inspect it himself, but he’d have to send someone else in his stead. He had luckily written down all the problems he couldn’t solve immediately, so he could talk to them with his advisors.  
The relief of reaching his bathroom was overwhelming. Artie was still stuck on the blight. Was it magic or natural? He’d send Merlin a letter and get his opinion, or maybe convince him to go with the inspectors. Would Merlin even leave his house? Would he even be able to figure out what it was?  
A headache pounded against his temples, but he had a meeting to attend. He hated these meetings. The advisors ignored him and just talked among themselves. He’d thought about firing them and appointing new ones, but he didn’t know anyone else. This was all too new to him, and thinking about it made his headache worse.  
He was the last person to arrive to the meeting. The group of adults gave him judging looks as he took his seat at the head of the table. He didn’t even get to say anything before one of the advisors took a jab at him, “How nice of our king to show up?” The man’s name was Belin. He was tall and spindly, with long, dark hair he kept pulled into a braid. He was almost forty, but Artie had decided his spite kept him youthful. He looked almost thirty, and intimidated Artie more than anyone else at the table.  
A warm flush spread over Artie’s cheeks, and he cleared his throat before speaking, “There’s a strange blight affecting the villagers crops. They say red roots run through the ground and cause their crops to die. I want to send an inspector out. I also plan on seeking Merlin’s counsel to see if it sounds like magic or not. They also said some people with strange names and robes covering their faces passed through town.”  
“It’s sweet that you care so much. Honestly, it’s touching,” Belin’s voice dripped with sarcasm, “But we still have the kingdom’s lacking funds to focus on. Charming put the entire treasury into his play.”  
Soon, the others broke in, and they all kept Artie out of the conversation. It felt like hammers were slamming against the inside of his head as he tried to keep up with the conversation, but he knew close to nothing about finances. He’d finally had enough and shouted, “QUIET. We WILL send an inspector out, and taxes will be collected soon. Surely, that will replace a fraction of the lost money. Now, we have other problems to focus on.”  
Artie had a serge of pride for himself and made sure he was involved with the conversation. They’d budgeted in the inspector with the little money left. There was still a lot to do, but it was a start. Once they’d gotten through all the issues, Belin spoke up, “Oh! I forgot! The council has noticed that you never finished school, and we’d like for you to finish. We’ve sent out flyers. We’ll have meetings with applicants, and you’ve been allowed to choose your tutor. We’re only requiring you to finish high school.”  
Artie hated when Belin did that. He hated being told what to do and treated like a child. He was king. Shouldn’t this man have a little respect for him? Artie brushed it off and pressed his fingers against his temples, “I will meet with them. Everyone is dismissed.”  
He was alone. He laid his head on the table and just let it all out. He’d never win. Even now that he was king, his father hadn’t reached out to him. He wanted to show him that he was worth it now. But, with every two steps he took forward, he took one back. He almost missed Worcestershire when Belin taunted him. Being a punching bag was better than sitting here having a break down. Everyone told him he was the one for the cut, but that felt more like empty promises. Maybe Shrek would’ve been a better king. The thought made Artie laugh. He thought about Shrek’s impatience and temper. It made him feel better about how he was doing. He’d only been here two months, so maybe he’d get the hang of it all eventually. 

Toady was a strange day. It was graduation day. Y/n wasn’t her classes top student, but graduating college with honors at sixteen was kind of cool. She told herself she wouldn’t cry, and she held up to that until her family came running up to her. They weren’t blood relatives; they were friends she’d made along her way. They all came out to support her, and she couldn’t be more grateful.   
Vivianne Kirkegard was the first person to congratulate her. The woman ran up to her, crying, “Your the last of my babies to graduate! I’m so proud of you,” Vivianne wrapped her in a tight hug. Vivianne was like a second mother to Y/n. She was the first person Y/n met at FFAU, and she had become one of her favorite teachers. Y/n would miss seeing her everyday, but she promised to visit.   
Soon, the other graduates Vivianne referred to her as her babies came running up too. They graduated the year before, and Y/n realized how much she missed them this year. They were all so busy building their futures, Y/n felt like she hadn’t seen them in forever. They all kept in touch through letters, but now they were here. And that’s when the first tear slipped.   
The group went out to eat to celebrate. They had so much fun together, catching up, that Y/n forgot all her anxieties about what was next for her. She lived in the moment for the first time in a while. It was nice.   
Y/n took a carriage home, and she started thinking everything over. Was she even ready to be a teacher? Would she be a teacher forever? Did she have the funds to change her mind and go back to school? What would happen to her life she’d become so adjusted to? All the possibilities seemed overwhelming. She needed to find a job. She had worked in one of Vivianne’s side-project boutiques through school. But, she needed to find a real job now. It was time for her to build her own career.   
Coming home to an empty cottage didn’t help her at all. Her mind was already spiralling. It was moments like these that the voices in her head, tried to pull her under and away like some dark, twisted deep sea current. She shut the door behind her and crumbled. She drew her knees to her chest and sobbed. Her tears soaked her dress. She wasn’t ready to move on. She didn’t even have a plan for what she was going to do.   
She hated her self-pitying nature. It made her feel so weak. She wiped her eyes, sighing. She rested her head against the door. She needed a plan and quick.


End file.
